Curtain for vestibule-cars.



E. C. HOLMES.

CURTAIN FOR VBSTIBULE CARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a, 1912.

1,059,465; Patented Apru22, 1913.

EDWARD CL HOLMES, OF INORWOOD, OHIOJ CURTAIN. FOR VESTIBULE-IGARS. 1

Specification ofI-etters Patent.

Application filed September 3,1912. Serial 110,718,240. 1 i

To all whom it may concern? Be it; known that I, EDWARD; C. HoLMEs,1 a citizen of the United States, and a resident of thecity .of Norwood, in the county of Hamilton and State of %Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtains a for vestibule-Cars, of which the followin is a full, clear,;and ex+ act description, re erence being had to the accompanying :drawing, formlng part of this specification.

My invention relates to the construction. of fastening; devices for the curtains in! use on;Pullman sleeping'cars to cover the @flexible folds on eachl side of the vestibule pas: sageway between the cars It has for its obj ecttovprovide a constructionwhich can be;readily and easilyapplied to the curtains now in use,- whereby the cur-Q tains may beautomatically :released lfrom the retaining hooks 1 on. the adjoining ;car; when the cars are separated, to :prevent the curtain being torn and destroyed through the carelessnessof employees in failing; to

iunhook the curtains prior to uncoupling the cars.

Heretofore for such. devices there have been provided a working 5 length and a releasing length for the curtain :on one car in connection with; a particularly designed iunwound fromits roller, shall be released.

These devices have heretofore necessitated the equipmentw of both cars iWlth co6perat-: ingparts, and as aresult thetexpense has been largely increased, and what 1is;a still greater. disadvantage, the devices could not be utilized unless bothcarswere properly equipped? It as the especial. object of my inventioin to arrange for the release of; the curtain solel through the ;mediumof the curtain han le, which in adjusting the curtain for use is caughtiover a hook 1 on :the adjoining, car, and it consists ofthe novel construction of handle arrangedvtoopen :up when the working length? of the curtaim has been ex-1 ceeded to release the handle from the re-1 taining; hook, 1wherebyj any construction of fixed hook may be used 11. 01; securingthe curtain, and it shall not be necessary that both? cars should be equip ed with releasing de-: vices in order :to 1161126 my invention:

curtain releasing devices in use. Fig. 2is

ayfrontelevation of the curtain handle,:

Patented Apr. 22,11913.1

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a horizontal? sect1on of \portions of the diaphragm: posts a of two ad O mng cars with my improved:

showing the open position of thehandle in; v

dotted lines, ig. 31s a central horizontal section of the :handle. Fig. 1 is. a detail of the inner ends of the two members of the handle, showing the knuckle j oint.

The: diaphragm posts of two adjoiningw cars are represented; by 1 q curtain roller 4,011 whichis woundlthe usual spring controlled curtain 5, which passesaout through a slot 6in the cover plate 7 of the recess.

On the opposite post 2 is mounted lana ordinaryhook 8, to receive and holdthe curtain handle when the curtain is extended to cover the diaphragm plates and tovform. an :inclosed :side passageway between :the;

cars;

The vertical outer edge of the curtain is:

provided :with a tubeor rod 9 around which the. curtaina is bound to protect the outer edge... Clamped laround: this tube 9, about midway ofthe curtain, is a clamp plate 10, which is split to be adapted to=be slipped outer portion of the clamp is bifurcated to form the side p1ates13, 13, and between these plates on the pins 14, 14:, are pivotally mounted ithetwo curved members 15, 16,

whichinormally meet at their front ends .17 .1

to form the handle for the curtain, by which it may bepulled out and hooked over onlthe 1 hooks 18. The inner ends of the two handle 1 members 15, 16, are extended to form an interlockingljoint, or the hinge members;18,

19, so that any pivotal movement of either of the handle members on the pivot pin 14 1 will cause a similar movement in the opposite directionof the other member.

In order :to hold the two members of the handletightly together to form a continuousqhandle, a coiled. spring20 is provided,

2 Verticiallyj mounted in arecess 3 in the post lie the which Iisconnected .withllugs 21, 22, on the v i twomembers.

Coupled tothelower :end of the handle 1 member 16 is achain 23, and the other end '23 by the ring 26. The length of this chain.

23 is less thanthe entire length of the curtain when drawn out, although the chain is sufliciently long to permit the curtain to be drawn out its full working length. It will beevident from this construction that when the handle comprising the members 15, 16,

, locked together by the coiled spring 20, is

engaged over the hook 8 on the adjoining car, if the car should be separated without unhookingl, the curtain, inasmuch as the chain is shorter than the length of'the curtain, as the curtain is drawn upon by the separation of the cars, the chain will pull on one or both ends of the handle on.one end if the chain only runs to one end of the handle; and on both ends, the top and bottom of the handle, when the chain is connected as illustrated in the drawingh This pull on the handle will cause the two members of the handle to separate, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.2, and the handle will thus open up and be-released from the hook, allowingthe ordinary spring roller to Wind up the curtain.

In order that the handles may be readily opened,'I prefer to form the two outer arms segmental in shape, as shown in the drawm The advantages of the foregoing. construction over prior curtain releasing devices will be very evident. No change is to be made in the curtains as ordinarily constructed.

The ordinary handle is removed, and my improved handle secured in place. An es- ,cutcheon plate i. is fastened at any desired point on the diaphragm post and an ordinary chainprovided, so that whenthe curtain is extendedbeyond its working length the draft will come on the chain. The device is then ready for use. No particular kind ofhook member is required, and the curtain can be secured to any adjacent car, with the assurance that should the curtain not be un-g hooked when the ears are uncoupled, the

handle will automatically be opened-to release it from the hook before the curtain is' fully drawn oii on the roller. Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

a frame with curtain roller and curtain mounted therein, anda handle for holding. the curtain pivotally mounted at the edge 1 thereof, with a flexible connection of shorter Copies of this patent may be obtained for 'oted' member will operate 7 handle- 1., Ina device of the character specified,

lengththan the curtain intermediate the pivoted handle. and the curtain mounting,

whereby upon drawingout the curtain beyond itsnormal extension the handle will be shifted from its normal position.

2. In a device of the characterspecified,

a frame with curtain zroller and curtain mounted therein, and ahandle for holding the curtain comprising an attaching portion and a holding member pivotally mountedto the attaching portion, .with a flexible'con-f nection of shorter length than the curtain intermediate the pivoted member and" the curtain mounting, whereby'uponfdrawing out the curtain beyond its normal extension the pivoted member will be shifted fromits normal. position.

3. In adevice of the-character specified,fl

a frame with curtain roller and curtain" mounted therein, and ahandle for holding" the curtain comprising an attaching portion,

with a pair of hook members "pivotally mounted to the attaching, portionropposite each other, with a spring to hold the hook members in contact to form a closed handle,

with a flexible connection of shorter length than the curtain intermediate the hookmembers and the curtain mounting, whereby upon drawing out the curtain beyond its 17 normal extension the curved .members will be opened to open the handle.

4. In a device of the character specified) a frame with, curtaln roller and curtain mounted therein, of a releasable. handle for oted members of the handle to the curtain support, of shorter length than the curtain.

5. In a device of the character specified, a frame wlth curtain roller and curtain mounted therein,of a. releasable handle' for;

the curtain, comprising'a clamp plate, with a pairjof pivoted members mounted in, saidplate, with their outer endsengaging to form' a closed handle, anda spring toienforce the closure, with the inner ends of the. p voted members interlocked, and ,a flexible connec- .tion for one of the pivoted members, fwith the curtainfsupport of shorter length than the curtain, wherebythe'draft on one'p-ivboth to openthe Attest: g

. RyP; 'HAno-rrr, V V 1 EARL GRIFFIN.

five cents each, by addressing the Gemmissioner of.IPatent5-,. Washington-R0. r

EDWARD" oQ fHoLMEs-F s: I 

